Flashes
by sick-atxxheart
Summary: Nothing's ever easy, but we get through all the same. Through tears, laughter, pain, and joy, it's the actual living that counts. 100 one-shots about various characters, pairings, and eras. For the 100 Quotes of Life challenge on HPFC.
1. Not Alone

_I can't do this on my own_

..

His tears haven't dried yet. She watches him in silence, feeling very awkward; she's cried enough on her own that she knows shallow comfort won't work. It never ends, for Harry. She doubts it ever will.

Harry's staring at her, now, and Hermione stares back bravely. As beautiful as his eyes are, they carry too much pain; she can't look at them for an extended period of time. If she does, she starts crying too. That wouldn't do, now; now, she has to be the strong one.

He's planning to leave tomorrow. Nothing she and Ron said could convince him to let them come on the journey also; he's just so damn _stubborn._ She loves and hates that about him.

More than anything, Hermione's scared for him. Harry is by far the strongest person she knows; he's been through things you can only dream of, and he's braver and more powerful than anyone realizes. She knows this, because she's his best friend. But Hermione _also_ knows that one day, he's going to break. And she _knows_ that she and Ron need to be there when he does.

His eyes have closed for a minute, and when they open again, there's fresh tears leaking out once more. He looks so _weak_; and Hermione knows Harry isn't weak in the slightest. But everyone falls sometime, don't they?

"Oh, Harry," Hermione whispers, reaching out hesitantly and grasping his hand in hers. "Please talk to me." Her plea is quiet and kind, and her eyes are hopeful as she stares back at him.

There is a long, pregnant pause before he answers, and when he does she can't hold back her tears any longer.

"P-Please-" Harry whispers brokenly, so quietly his words are almost inaudible. "I- I c-can't do t-this on my o-own."

She barely hears him the first time he says it, and feels foolish when she has to ask him to repeat it. When he does, his voice is stronger; but the pain in the words is still just as evident.

His green eyes stare her brown ones down as he speaks again. "I can't do this on my own, Hermione." His tears still haven't gone away.

She stares at him for a long moment, before giving up all signs of self-composure and moving over to gather him in her arms. "Oh, Harry," Hermione whispers. "Haven't you been listening? You don't have to."

She comforts him until he's ready to walk away dry-eyed. It's only then that Hermione rises, and goes to tell Ron that they're leaving tomorrow.


	2. Never

_Never, ever try that again_

..

Harry Potter is a foolish child, he thinks, as the lights in the Hospital Wing slowly dim. It's just after the boy's fifth year, and he has already faced Voldemort four times, not counting his escape as a baby. That's five times too many, Severus Snape thinks to himself. Even if he hates Harry due to the fact that he couldn't let go of the past, Snape knows that no fifteen-year-old boy should have to live with the fear that had become a constant in Harry's life.

He watches Harry with a calculating eye as the small body shifts in sleep, obviously restless. Snape wonders if he's dreaming, and if he will have to deal with a nightmare. His guess is yes; it's just his luck that he had to get assigned to watch the sleeping child right after such a catastrophic event.

Sirius Black is dead. Snape's insides are crowing in delight and exulatation; the mutt is _dead_, he won't be coming back, _ever_! But something else stings at him. _Harry _could have died. And as much as he pretends to despise the boy, he can't bring himself to truly believe it.

Walking over slowly to the child, Snape bends down and listens to his breathing for a moment. The room is deadly silent.

"Never, ever try that again," he whispers softly. He knows Harry will; the boy certainly does have a knack for finding himself in life-or-death situations.

He's quiet for another moment, before he reaches down. With a surprisingly soft touch, he brushes the boy's hair out of his eyes. Despite everything, he knows he would protect Harry with his life.

He can't let those green eyes die again.


	3. Go

_Just go_

..

She thinks he's beautiful. She always has; his white-blonde hair is always perfect, and his alabaster skin seems to shimmer incandescently. His eyes are grey, and they always hold _so much emotion_ that it almost hurts to look in them.

Pansy knows he has his mask carefully settled on his face, and she knows that even she has never seen beyond it. Draco's afraid enough to never let it fall; at least, she thinks it's fear that holds him back. She can't be certain; after all, she doesn't _really_ know him.

They've had their fun together, to be sure. Scattered kisses and whispered words- but never did Draco tell her she was beautiful, or that he loved her, or that she was even _worth_ something. Pansy expected too much. She knew she did.

But she couldn't quite help falling in love with him. She wished he would talk to her more, and tell her things; she wished more than anything that they could actually be _happy_together. She knew they couldn't. They were both much to volatile for that. Why push something that wasn't meant to be?

That was why she wasn't quite surprised when she heard that he was courting Astoria Greengrass. An arranged marriage, to be sure; but it still _hurt_, Merlin, it _hurt_. Wasn't she respectable enough, from a good enough Pureblood family? Wasn't she _enough_?

He came to her later that week, just as he always did. Thursdays, at nine; it was always the same. Pansy's seated in her favorite chair, looking utterly _perfect_, or at least she thinks, and she sees his eyes widen. But she just walks over to him, and whispers two words in his ear. It takes all the strength she has.

"Just go." She turns quickly, to hide her tears; and then he's gone. He doesn't come back next Thursday, even though she waited all night for him. _Foolish_.

Pansy marries another Pureblood, and she's rich and beautiful and powerful and she has everything her family wanted her to have. She has the life of a _queen_, and she's treated appropriately. No one knows how much she cries when she's alone, or how she carefully avoids Draco at the elegant functions that are a requirement for both of them.

She pretends. Because, isn't being happy _without_ the person you want the perfect revenge?

..

_Also for OCDdegrassi._


	4. Pride

_I'm so proud of you_

..

It's right after the Third Task- _the maze oh Merlin the maze Cedric-_ and all Harry wants to do is sleep for a million years and forget about everything that had ever happened to him. That seemed to be the best option, after all; he just kept seeing Cedric's lifeless eyes, and Voldemort's red ones, and the fear in his own green orbs- and he hated it, hated it, couldn't handle it. _Merlin he's back he took my blood no, please-_

Hermione and Ron had comforted him in the best way they could. But Harry could practically _see_ the suspicion in their eyes. _Don't doubt me I'm not lying I swear please please please don't go-_ They believed him, he could tell, but Cedric was dead. He wasn't coming back, and Hermione and Ron couldn't forget that. Neither could Harry.

It had taken all the strength in the world to tell his story twice; to Dumbledore and Sirius, and then to Ron and Hermione. Both parties had listened diligently; but it wasn't easy, no matter which way he looked at it. _Don't hate me I didn't mean to blood knife cauldron body_-

He finally lost that little bit of resolve when Sirius was standing there in front of him, eyes sympathetic and arms wide open. Harry ran- _please please save me_- and buried his face in Sirius' shoulder, only barely holding back the tears that were prickling at his eyes.

"You did it, Harry. You were so brave," Sirius whispered. "I'm so proud of you, cub." His black eyes were tender and caring as he held the small boy gently in his arms.

Harry looked up at him. _I did it really he's gone no he's not blood I remember but it's okay right tell me it's okay-_

Pride- Sirius was proud of him? He had done something right? Apparently so-

Those words meant everything.


	5. Let Go

_I'll never let you go_

..

She was always so pretty. Too pretty, Severus thought- she almost looked breakable. She stood in front of him, her heart sad and her face happy. Or maybe it was the other way around.

She had just gotten engaged. He could see the ring glittering on her finger, and her eyes shone with excitement even as she attempted to tell him bad news. He already knew what she was going to say.

"Sev," she whispered, her voice sad. "We knew this would happen eventually."

He nodded, unable to speak, unable to say anything. Of course he knew.

She looked up at him, her green eyes pleading. "I have to go."

Something snapped inside Severus. He reached forward and took her shoulder just as she turned to leave. "I'll never let you go," he said, his voice breaking in a hopeless attempt.

She left anyway.

She had never been his in the first place.


End file.
